DBMS is a common method of storing, organizing, and manipulating data. DBMS can provide a reliable and transparent way for people to store large amounts of data. Although, DBMS makes it easier to store, manage, and manipulate low-level data (binary data), DBMS is still too complex to operate for an average user.
Many database administrators and software professionals use character-driven data interfaces. These interfaces provide freedom and power in data management and manipulation. However, these interfaces do not provide a transparent, human-friendly interaction with data. This is one reason for the use of visual interfaces that non-software professionals, computing devices, and communication devices can understand and interpret.
There are several problems associated with conventional visual interfaces. For example, access to data is limited to interfaces that are accessed through specialized software that needs to be installed on the user's computing or communication device. This implies that users can access their data only through devices that include this specialized software. Specialized software is any software that is not pre-installed on a standard computing or communication device. For example, a web browser such as Netscape Navigator or Microsoft Internet Explorer, or any software pre-installed (“usually comes with”) on a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), mobile device (e.g., cell phone), or any other computing or communication device is not considered to be specialized software. On the other hand, Crystal Reports is a report generating software that does not come pre-installed with most computers; therefore, it is considered to be specialized software.
DBMSs produced by competing companies are generally incompatible. Although, most DBMSs use a standard Structured Query Language (SQL) to manage data, internal organization of different DBMSs differ considerably. Furthermore, multiple dialects of SQL are introduced when operating different DBMSs.
In an environment where access to data is restricted to specialized software, and where DBMS incompatibilities are an every day reality, there is a need for a network service that allows network users to manage and manipulate data in the background DBMS transparently by subscribing to the service through any computing or communication device connected to the network.